Valerie Topete

Thursday, 13 October 2016

Valerie Topete of all people understands that the job of being a bike
courier can be challenging, whether it is freelance or with a company.
The work hours can be long and physically exhausting, especially if one
is not familiar with the best routes or rush hours. On top of physical
exertion, time is of the essence, and a late or missed delivery can
spell disaster for a courier’s reputation. While all of this is much to
consider, there is even more to worry about. Simply surviving the job
can be a challenge in itself.

The dangers facing a bike courier
while they are on the job are numerous, and everywhere. People,
vehicles, and weather, all present constant dangers to be watched out
for. In order to avoid becoming involved in an accident, or at least
take precaution against one, a courier must be prepared.

A basic
precaution is to simply wear a helmet. While this may seem simple, many
do not adhere to it. It could prevent serious injury in the event of a
collision. Another way to make the job easier and less hazardous is the
use of navigation. A better route can be mapped out based on external
factors, such as traffic or an event. Lastly, the signals on the bike
can prevent an accident, as this gives others notice of your intent.

All
of these seem extremely simple, and they truly are. Valerie Topete has
used these simple procedures to ensure her own safety and success.
​

Monday, 3 October 2016

Sometimes the hassle of getting a package or documents through the
city that never sleeps can be a real chore. When delivery is urgent,
often people look to bike couriers to carry out this difficult and
occasionally dangerous job. One such bike courier is Valerie Topete.

She
has been a bike courier for seven years, and has not once been late or
missed a single delivery in this impressive span. The trick to really
succeeding as a bike courier is knowing the safest and fastest routes
through the maze of New York City, and she knows all of these like the
back of her hand. This has greatly contributed to her success and
reputation as reliable and dedicated to her work.

While an
excellent record and work ethic are impressive alone, Topete is also a
loving and dedicated mother of two beautiful children. Balancing the hectic work of a bike courier with the responsibilities of a mom,
requires extreme discipline and patience. Topete has these in abundance,
as she always strives to serve her clients, and provide for her family.

Her
dedication is exemplified in her first few years in New York, where she
worked freelance as a bike courier to support her children. It takes
true love and dedication to take on the dual roles of mother and
freelance bike courier. After some time, Valerie Topete joined Mercury
Rises as a paid bike courier, and has been successfully serving her
clients ever since. Truly she has exemplified being dependable.
​

Sunday, 25 September 2016

Valerie Topete is a very skilled rider for a top New York City
courier company called Mercury Rises. She started as a freelance courier
and for three years she pushed herself to create a reputation that
suited her drive and dedication to the job. It was that dedication and
competitive nature that led her to Mercury Rises and top rider for her
new company. Topete credits her success with her ability to multi-task.

Bicycling around the Big Apple everyday gives her the perfect
opportunity to search for new and unique viewpoints for her photography.
Always quick with at least her smartphone, she is always ready to
capture the perfect image. Her fascination with everything New York City
inspired her to start taking pictures of the architecture and people
that she would see each day. As she became more versed in the layout of
the city and began exploring parks and gardens with her two boys, Topete
has more recently taken an interest in botanical images.

Topete
started off by just posting her favorite images to her personal social
media site. The albums that she would upload of her treks around the
city were so popular and the overwhelming support from her friends and
family encouraged her to go professional. After conferring with some
friends that already had online stores for their craft goods, Topete
took their advice and created her own website. After launching her
online business, Topete saw great sales and the demand for her work is
skyrocketing. She continues to produce new images and uses her time at
work and with the family to look for inspiration across the city.

Her
interest in photography has grown and she has recently taken an
interest in the process of developing her own photos. While Topete took
photography classes in high school, the actual development of film was
never something that was covered. After researching different local
options, she found a four-week class at her local junior college that
would introduce her to the process. Now educated in basic techniques,
Topete spends her evenings after the boys are in bed in her makeshift
darkroom in the basement.

The project of developing her own
photos has been a long endeavor, but one that has renewed Valerie Topete’s dedication to her art. She has been able to explore different
exposures and enjoys being able to develop her own photos. While the
process is time consuming and the chemicals can be expensive, she
believes that the fact she is processing her photos herself makes her
photography more of an art form. In addition, the new development styles
that she has been playing with have sold very well on her website in
addition to the traditional prints.

Friday, 16 September 2016

As a successful bike courier in New York, Valerie Topete has seen her fair share of the city. Working full time for one the most competitive courier businesses out there, Topete spends her days weaving through the city, racing to deliver her parcels, packages and letters. Her dedication to her job has led her to become the most well-known and successful couriers at her company. Working for Mercury Rises for the past four years, and as a freelance courier for three years before that, Topete knows her way around and excels at navigating the blocks between deliveries.

For several years she had enjoyed the architecture and people that she observes every day so much that she took up photography as a way of capturing the sights. Her unique photos of the city, from angles and spots that most tourists never see, became so popular that she turned a hobby into another part-time career.

Topete began as an amateur photographer snapping photos from her smartphone as she biked around for work. She stands by her advice to always be ready to take a photo, and while she uses her SLR camera as much as she can, more often than not, her smartphone is what she has available. Regardless of the type of device, the most important factors to Topete when it comes to photography are the lighting and subject matter.As each courier assignment takes her to a new part of the city she has never seen, Topete had the opportunity to observe the assortment of gardens and parks scattered about. Designed by some of the best in the business, the garden displays nestled between skyscrapers and the shadows of monuments always intrigued Topete. The more she traveled, the more she started to notice the varieties and intricacies of the plants that made up these gardens. Soon, Topete found herself planning her courier routes past these gardens or through Central Park. Now, as her eye for photography focused on the beauty of the gardens, Topete shifted her subject matter from architecture and people to high resolution, up-close botanical photography.

With all of the hidden garden gems tucked away throughout the city, Valerie Topete is never at a loss for subject matter and quite enjoys the hunt for new and interesting locations. During the workday, Topete scopes out previously unknown gardens, and during the evenings or weekends, her and her family picnic in the parks. The hobby really has turned into a family affair, as the children run around hunting for pretty flowers and plants, and Topete follows with the camera to capture their finds. Whether the shots are professional quality or just family memories doesn’t matter, but combining passion and family does.

Monday, 8 August 2016

Valerie Topete is a bike courier in New York. She delivers special documents and other items to various people and companies. Working as a bike courier means that she spends a lot of time on her bike. She carefully chose it and if you plan on riding your bike a lot you should use these tips to help you choose the bike that is right for you.

SizeYou want your bike to be a good size. It should be easy for you to reach the pedals without stretching and should be easy to control and steer. If a bike is too big or too small, it may be harder to control and pedal and will make your job as a courier harder.

EquipmentThere are certain things you may want to add to your bike to make your job easier or to carry on you. Think of backpacks, baskets, and attachments that can hold documents and packages while you transport them to their destinations.

CostWhen you buy a bike you have a lot of options but you likely have a budget as well. You want to choose a bike that is not necessarily the most expensive or the cheapest, but the best value. A bike that is designed for courier services may be more expensive than a traditional bike

If you are going to be riding your bike a lot like Valerie Topete, you need to make sure you choose a bike that is made for you. The above tips can help you choose a bike that you can enjoy riding.

Thursday, 28 July 2016

Valerie Topete has been a bike courier for several years. She started
out as a freelancer but now works for a company called Mercury Rising.
If you enjoy riding bikes and want to make a living doing so, these tips
can show you how to become a successful bike courier.

Be On Time

You
won’t be able to keep a job if you can’t deliver packages on time. You
need to be fast and efficient at what you do and give the employers a
reason to choose you over other couriers or people offering similar
services.

Have A Good Bike

Your bike can determine
how fast you are able to perform your duties and how comfortable you are
while doing them. You can’t use a regular bike for courier services you
need to choose one that is modified for the job. You may also choose to
modify your bike yourself.

Be Dedicated

Being a bike
courier isn’t an easy job. You have to be able to deliver various
documents and packages and often have short deadlines to meet. You may
also have to go out and find the jobs you want. Many bike couriers are
freelancers and spend a lot of time hunting jobs.

If you are or
want to be a bike courier, there are several things you can do to make
your business successful. Valerie Topete has been working as a bike
courier for several years and loves what she does. The tips above can
help you become successful as a bicycle courier too.

Valerie Topete @ Twitter

Valerie Topete @ About.me

Valerie Topete @ Pinterest

About Me

Valerie Topete works as a bike courier in New York City delivering many different kinds of sensitive documents and materials to clients of the bike messaging and delivery company Mercury Rises. Topete is entrusted with high-level legal documents, building plans, studies, and other physical documents that need to get to their destinations as soon as possible. Topete delivers with speed and safety.